Safety binding for a ski



Feb. 18, 1958 B. E. BERLl-:NBACH SAFETY BINDING FOR A sx1 3 Sheets-Sheetl Filed May l0, 1954 Feb. 18, 1958 B. E. BERLENBACH SAFETY BINDING FOR Asx1 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 10, 1954 www,

Feb. 18, 1958 B. E. BERLENBACH SAFETY BINDING FOR A SKI 5 Sheets-Sheet 3Filed May l0, 1954 By v/MW` ATTORNEY United States Patent O SAFETYBINDING FOR A SKI Bernard E. Berlenbaeh, Mill Valley, Calif. ApplicationMay 10,-1954`, SerialfNo. 428,699y

Claims. (Cl. 2811-1135) The present invention relates to improvements ina safety binding for a ski, andA its principal object is to provide abinding for anchoring the heel of the skier to the runner with freedomof av desired amount of vertical play for normal skiing operationsv andalso with freedom of complete release in response toabnormal"I stress,such as might be occasioned bythe skierfalling forward.`

It is further proposed, in the present invention, to provide. means in abinding of the character described in which the up and down play of thebootv onthe runner is limited to a desiredv degree, and in which meansare provided for adjusting thedegree of play allowed.

It is still further proposed' to provide means for independentlyadjusting theboot releasing means to become active in response to apre-determined upward pressure, the two adjustments being independent ofeach other.

It is additionally proposed'toprovide for manually controlled means forlocking the bindinguponthe heel and for releasing the bindingV from the:heel.

Fur-ther objects and advantages of my invention will appear as thespecicationtproceeds; and the-newandluseful features of my safetybinding for a. ski will bey fully dened in the claims attachedhereto.

The preferred forms of my inventionv are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, formingy part of this application, in'which:

Figure 1 shows a side view of one form of my ski binding, parts beingbroken away;

Figure 2, a-plan view of the-same, with portions broken away;

Figure 3, aside view of a second form of= my ski binding, with partsbroken away;

Figure 4, aplanfview of thesecon'd form, withiportions broken away;

Figure 5, a detail View of an extensible linkl adapted to be used in theform of Figure 3; and

Figure 6, a side view of a further modification of the invention.

While I have shown only the preferred forms of the invention, it shouldbe understoodl that: various changes or modifications may be' madelwithin the scope of the claims attached hereto, without departing fromlthe spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, and first to theform shown inFigures Vl and 2, my binding comprises in its principal features, ahousingl 1 adapted for fastening,V upon a ski runner indicated at 2, ananchoring assembly including a. leaf spring 3, an anchoring bar 4, abrace 5 supporting the rear end ofthe anchoring bar', a main spring 6bearing on the anchoring bar, cooperative means indicated at 7forreleasablyv supporting the rear end of the brace, andl a handle81forengagingtheanchoring bar with theheel of therboot andfor' releasingthe' bar,

The housingl is madein the form of a flat' plate adapted forsecuringupon the runner by: means of 'suitable screws 9, the screwsextendinghthrough lengthwise slots 10i to allow the positionl oftheplate onthe runner to beadjusted.

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The plate has two anges 1l rising from opposite sides thereof,v theflanges being curved downwardly in their central portions to provideregistering saddles, indicated at 12.

The anchoring bar t is in the form of a flat strip of rigid metal of awidth slightly less than the spacing between the anges 11 and is shapedto present a forward tongue 13 adapted for fitting upon the projectingportion of. the boot heel, indicatedV at 14, or a suitable bracket ttedupon the heel, a deep pocket 15 behind the tongue, and a horizontalsection 16 extending rearwardly of the pocket, the rear end of the barhaving a recess 17 formed therein.

The leaf spring 3 is also made in the form of a bar corresponding inwidth to that of the anchoring bar and is made of slightly springymaterial. It comprises a horizontal section 18 adapted to lie at on thebottom of the housing and has an upward curve presenting a forwardlyinclined section 19, the extreme upper end rising to a point slightlyhigher than the rear end of the anchoring plate and slightly spaced.therefrom;

The` horizontal portion 18 of the leaf spring lies in the bottom of thehousing, with its forward end disposed between said bottom and thepocket 15 in the anchoring bar.

The leaf spring is suspended from a pin 20 extending through ears 21rising from the leaf spring, the pin being adapted to ride in rearwardlyinclined slots 22 in the side flanges ofthe housing 1 and to come torest in the lower ends of the slots.

The brace 5, which preferably is made circular in crosssection, and. ofsturdy build, has. its lower endpivoted to the pinr20 and extendsupwardly at a rearward incline, to a point rearwardly of the rear end ofthe anchoring plate section 16 and forwardly of the upper end of therear section 19 of the leaf spring. Its upper section is supported by ascrew 23 threaded through the upper end ofsaid section 19 and engagingin a cavity 24provided in the end of the brace 5.

The strength of the support may be adjusted by adjustment of the screw,which in turn, adjusts the tension of the leaf spring.

The rear end of section 16 of the anchoring bar is made to rest on therear end of the brace through the recess 17.

The front end of the leaf spring 3, opposite the pocket 15, has a bolt25 rising therefrom, the bolt rising through the' bottom of the pocketand having the coiled spring 6 mounted thereon, with a nut 26 threadedon the upper end of the bolt for tensioning the spring to urge thebottom of the pocket to bear on the forward end of the leaf spring 3.

It will be understood that, in the structure thus far described, theleaf spring 3, the toe-anchoring plate 4, the brace 5 and the spring 6form a oating unit suspended from the pin 20, which latter is adapted toride in the slots 22.

When the pin 20 is in the bottom of the slots, the horizontal section 18of the leaf spring lies at on the bottom of the housing, and the pin isnormally held in this position by a toggle-joint including the handle 8,which is pivoted in the rear portions of the flanges of the housing, asatV 27, and a link 28 pivoted to the handle as at 29 and to the pin 2t?,the pivot 29 being arranged to cross the deadcenter between the endpivots when the handle is depressed. The handle is preferably formed toprovide a hood over the housing.

In operation, the skier, after the binding has been properly positionedon the ski runner, pulls up on handle 8, thereby causing the pin 20 tomove upward in the slots 22,` which upward movement is accompanied by anupward movement of the entire anchoring unit including the leaf spring3, the anchoring bar 4, the brace 5, and the spring 6.

After positioning his boot heel underneath the tongue 13, the skirerthrows the handle 8 forward, lthereby locking the anchoring unit,substantially as shown in Figure l.

During ordinary skiing, the tongue 13 of the anchoring bar 4 has acertain amount of up and down play, the bar working against the spring 6and using its rear end 17 for a pivot. The tension of spring 6 may beadjusted by means of the nut 26.

In case of abnormal stresses, as when the skier falls forward, thecompression of the spring becomes such that it will yield no further,and in that case the bottom end of the spring becomes the pivot for theanchoring bar, causing the rear end of the anchoring bar to bear down onthe brace 5, which latter, being held only by the screw 23, will yieldat a predetermined pressure, causing the entire anchoring unit tocollapse, and to free the boot. The pressure required for completerelease depends upon the position of the screw 23, which adjusts therelease mechanism to respond to any pressure desired.

The modified form of my invention illustrated in Figures 3 and 4,operates on substantially the same principle and produces substantiallythe same result.

In this form the housing 41 is shown as consisting of a channel ortunnel adapted for securing upon the ski runner by means of screws 42passing through suitable apertures provided in lateral flanges 43.

A second channel 44 is pivoted in the upper front portion of thehousing, as at 45, and has a major portion extending horizontallythrough the housing, with a coil spring 46 bearing on the channel toforce the same upward.

A minor portion of the channel 44 extends forwardly of the housing andforms a bearing 47 for a pin 48 on which is supported a bell crank lever49 presenting a normally forward extending anchoring tongue 50, and anormally upward projecting arm 51.

The arm 51 carries a pin 52, which is normally held against backwardswing movement by means of a togglejoint including a handle 53, having afront end pivoted to pin 52, and carrying a pivot pin 54 disposedslightly below the center-line connecting pivots 45-52, when the handleis disposed horizontally over the housing. A link 55 connects pivots 45and 54, to complete the togglejoint. A spring 54 may be used to bias thepivot 54 across center.

It will be understood that, as long as the toggle-joint holds, theinverted chamiel 44, the bell crank lever 49 and the handle 53 form arigid unit swingable on pivot 45. Any normal upward pressure brought tobear on the heel anchoring member 50 operates against the spring 46within the housing, which latter spring yields sufficiently to allow ofnormal up and down play of the heel anchoring member.

If, however, the pressure becomes excessive, as in a forward fall of theskier, and the spring approaches the limit of compression, then theupward pressure on the anchoring tongue will cause the pivot 52 to swingbackward, accompanied by a backward movement of pivot 54 across deadcenter and a breaking of the toggle-joint, with the result that the heelanchoring tongue completely releases the heel.

To adjust the spring pressure to allow of a desired degree of up anddown play, I provide means for adjusting the position of the springalong `the length of the channel. For this purpose I provide a series ofribs 56 in the bottom of the housing, each two neighboring ribs beingadapted to support the spring thereon. The closer the spring is movedtoward the pivotal center, the less its efficiency.

The handle 53 is guided by an adjustable bolt 57, which is screwed intothe top of the housing and has a head bearing against the underface ofthe handle. The bolt may be locked in adjusted position by a lock nut58.

This bolt allows the normal position of the handle to be adjusted whichresults in adjustment of the central pivot 54 of the toggle-joint withrespect to the center line of pivots 45 and 52.

The further pivot 54 is made to cross the center-line, the greater willbe the pressure required to cause it to turn back over the center-line,so that the bolt 57 becomes a means for adjusting the safety feature toa predetermined degree of pressure, independently of the pressure ofspring 46.

The links 55, which in Figure 3 are shown as plain straps, may be madeextensible, as shown in Figure 5.

In this form of my invention, each link comprises a threaded shank 60having one end formed with a neck revolvable in the pin 61 (representingthe pivot pin 45 and having an enlarged central portion to accommodatethe neck), and having an intermediate portion threaded into a pin 63(representing the pivot 54), the central portion of the pin beingenlarged, as shown, to receive the shank.

The free end of the shank carries a head 64, by means of which it may beturned for advancing or retracting the pivot 63 with respect to thepivot 61. Thus, where this form is used and substituted for the plainlinks 55, the effective length of the links may be changed, with acorresponding change in the overall length of the togglejoint, with theresult that the arm 51 of the anchoring member 49 may be moved foradjusting the angularity of the anchoring tongue 50 and the effectiveheight thereof with respect to the surface of the ski runner.

The heel of the boot may be provided with a suitable metal bracket 66forming a firm ledge for the anchoring tongue.

In operation, this form of my invention works substantially on the sameprinciple as the first form.

In normal operation, the entire anchoring means forms a rigid unitpivotally suspended from the pin 45, the toggle-joint being locked. Heelpressure brought to bear on the anchoring tongue works against thespring 46, which allows of limited normal play of the heel with respectto the runner.

When the spring 46, due to abnormal upward pressure on the tongue 50, iscompressed to near its limit, the pivot 48 becomes relatively fixed andthe bell crank lever 49 swings on the pivot, forcing the pivot 52backward, with the result that the pivot 54 is also crowded backward,and the toggle-joint is broken, to cause both the anchoring toe and thehandle to swing upward and to clear the boot.

The form shown in Figure 6 is substantially similar to that of Figure 3,and corresponding numerals have been applied. The only difference liesin the spring arrangement.

The inverted channel 44' is shortened to extend only partly into thehousing 41', and its rear end is acted on by a horizontal spring 46',the front end of which is anchored to the channel 44', as at 70, whileits rear end is anchored to a nut 71, which in turn is mounted on ascrew 72, the head of which bears against a flange '73 rising from therear end of the housing.

The spring serves as a pull-spring yieldingly opposing upward movementof the tongue 50, and its tension may be adjusted by operation of thescrew 72.

I claim:

l. A safety binding for a ski, comprising a housing having means forsecuring the same upon a ski, a lever pivoted in the front portion ofthe housing and having a rear end extending into the housing and a frontend projecting forwardly of the housing, a heel anchoring member pivotedin the front end of the lever and having an arm projecting upwardly, aspring bearing on the rear end of the lever to urge the anchoring memberdownward, a handle having a front end pivoted to the upper end of saidarm and having a rear end extending substantially horizontally over thehousing in normal position, a link pivoted to the lever pivot, and apivotal connection between the free end of the link and the handle andnormally disposed approximately between the arm pivot and the leverpivot to provide a toggle joint adapted to be broken by an upward swingof either the anchoring member or the handle.

2. A safety binding for a sld, comprising a housing having means forsecuring the same upon a ski, a lever pivoted in the front portion ofthe housing Vand having a rear end extending into the housing and afront end projecting forwardly of the housing, a heel anchoring memberpivoted in the front end of the lever and having an arm projectingupwardly, a spring bearing on the rear end of the lever to urge theanchoring member downward, a handle having a front end pivoted to theupper end of said arm and having a rear end extending substantiallyhorizontally over the housing in normal position, a link pivoted to thelever pivot, and a pivotal connection between the free end of the linkand the handle and normally disposed approximately between the arm pivotand the lever pivot to provide a toggle joint adapted to be broken by anupward swing of either the anchoring mem ber or the handle, the housinghaving means for adjusting the normal position of the handle to in turnadjust the position of the central pivot of the toggle joint withrespect to its outer pivots.

3. A safety binding for a ski, comprising a housing having means forsecuring the same upon a ski, a lever pivoted in the front portion ofthe housing and having a rear end extending into the housing and a frontend projecting forwardly of the housing, a heel anchoring member pivotedin the front end of the lever and having an arm projecting upwardly, aspring bearing on the rear end of the lever to urge the anchoring memberdownward, a handle having a front end pivoted to the upper end of saidarm and having a rear end extending substantially horizontally over thehousing in normal position, and a toggle joint connection between theupper end of the arm, the lever pivot and an intermediate portion of thehandle for normally holding the anchoring member in heel engagingposition, the toggle joint being adapted to be broken by an upward swingof either the handle or the anchoring member.

4. A safety binding for a ski comprising a housing having means forsecuring the same upon a ski, a lever pivoted in the front portion ofthe housing and having a rear end extending into the housing and a frontend projecting forwardly of the housing, a heel anchoring member pivotedin the front end of the lever and having an arm projecting upwardly, aspring bearing on the rear end of the lever to urge the anchoring memberdownward, a handle having a front end pivoted to the upper end of saidarm and having a rear end extending substantially horizontally over thehousing in normal position, and a toggle joint connection between theupper end of the arm, the lever pivot and an intermediate portion of thehandle for normally holding the anchoring member in heel engagingposition, the toggle joint being adapted to be broken by an upward swingof either the handle or the anchoring member, and the housing and thehandle having cooperative means for adjusting the normal position of thecentral pivot of the toggle joint.

5. A safety binding for a ski, comprising a housing having means forsecuring the same upon a slti, a lever pivoted in the front portion ofthe housing and having a rear end extending into the housing and a frontend projecting forwardly of the housing, a heel anchoring member pivotedin the front end of the lever and having an arm projecting upwardly, aspring bearing on the rear end of the lever to urge the anchoring memberdownward, a handle having a front end pivoted to the upper end of saidarm and having a rear end extending substantially horizontally over thehousing in normal position, and a toggle joint connection between theupper end of the arm, the lever pivot and an intermediate portion of thehandle for normally holding the anchoring member in heel engagingposition, the toggle joint being adapted to be brok-v en by an upwardswing of either the handle or the anchoring member, and the toggle jointhaving means for adjusting the overall length thereof` whereby the angleof the anchoring member may be adjusted.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,433,161 Schwarze Dec. 23, 1947 2,545,574 French Mar. 20, 19512,573,955 Cubberley Nov. 6, 1951 2,610,861 Campbell Sept. 16, 19522,705,150 Hansen Mar. 29, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 171,853 Austria July 10,1952 55,685 France May 21, 1952 858,446 France May 13, 1940 807,788Germany July 5, 1951 241,681 Switzerland Aug. 16, 1946 258,334Switzerland Jan. 3, 1950 259,478 Switzerland June 16, 1949

